New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Saturday reviewed preparations for the NEET-PG 2026, directing all agencies to ensure the examination is conducted in a smooth, secure, transparent and technology-driven manner, while cautioning candidates against rumours and fraudulent claims of question paper leaks.
The NEET-PG 2026 examination is scheduled for August 30 and will take place in a single shift across approximately 340 cities and over 1,300 examination centres.
A total of 2,73,183 candidates have registered for the examination, an increase of over 12.5 per cent compared to the previous year, a health ministry statement said.
During the review meeting, Nadda assessed the preparedness of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), technology partners and other stakeholders.
He was briefed on examination logistics, candidate facilitation measures, the security framework and technology-enabled interventions introduced for this year’s examination, the statement said.
Nadda emphasised the need for every effort to ensure a fair, transparent, and candidate-friendly examination while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and security. He directed all concerned agencies to coordinate closely to provide candidates with a hassle-free experience.
Nadda also urged aspirants not to be misled by rumours or fraudulent claims regarding the examination.
He said the final question paper is selected through a highly secure, encrypted and time-bound process shortly before the examination begins, with multiple technological and operational safeguards ensuring its confidentiality until the scheduled start time.
Any claim of prior access to the question paper is completely false and intended to mislead candidates, he said, advising aspirants to rely only on official communications issued by NBEMS and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and to report any suspicious activities or attempts at unfair practices.
Among the measures introduced this year, candidates will be required to indicate three state preferences for test centres, with the corresponding state as the mandatory first preference to facilitate allotment of centres closer to their place of residence, the statement said.
Test city intimation will be issued nearly three weeks before the examination to help candidates plan travel and accommodation.
The examination pattern has also been revised to 180 questions to be answered in 210 minutes, providing candidates with more time per question while maintaining the overall duration of the examination, it stated.
To strengthen authentication, Aadhaar-based verification has been incorporated during both the application process and on the day of the examination. Iris-based biometric authentication will be used wherever fingerprint verification is unsuccessful, the statement said.
The minister also reviewed the multi-layered security arrangements, including advance sealing and verification of examination centres, CCTV surveillance, biometric authentication, candidate frisking, deployment of signal jammers, dynamic computer allocation, live monitoring through central and regional command centres, and real-time supervision by independent observers and appraisers.
More than 60,000 examination functionaries will be deployed for the conduct of the examination, the statement said.
Officials informed the minister that the end-to-end question paper preparation and delivery process has been further strengthened through multiple layers of encryption, secure offline preparation, time-bound finalisation of the paper shortly before the examination and controlled digital decryption only at the scheduled commencement of the test.
To curb unfair practices, NBEMS has also operationalised a dedicated email address for reporting impersonation, touting and other malpractices, while issuing regular advisories to candidates to promote awareness and vigilance. PTI PLB MPL MPL
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